The 20 farming families who use more water from the Colorado River than some states

Drought, climate change and growth have taxed the river in recent decades, and the federal government has called for cuts. But the water still flows. Officials have drawn down reservoirs to ensure the water promised to Southwestern states and Mexico is there. California gets the most.

That’s because no group is owed more of the river than an irrigation district in the Imperial Valley, one of the driest stretches of California desert.

ProPublica and The Desert Sun found that a majority of the water consumed by farms in the valley goes to just 20 extended families.

Read more at the Desert Sun.